Hall of Fame Review: A Girl's Best Friend by Lindsey Kelk

Friday 13 November 2015
Title: A Girl's Best Friend
Author: Lindsey Kelk
Publisher: Harper
Publication Date: 5th November 2015
Pages: 400
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 5/5
Purchase: Amazon
After the crazy six months she’s had, if there was a ‘clear history’ button for your life, Tess Brookes would be the first in line to press it.

When the opportunity arises to join her best friend, Amy, in New York for Christmas, Tess jumps at the chance. The only slight hitch is that Nick, the man who broke her heart, lives there. And Charlie, the man she turned down, has just started talking to her again. And she has just four days to take a photo for a competition that could save her career.

But aside from that, everything is going to be great: it’ll be the best Christmas ever. Won’t it?

It's no secret that I am madly in love with Lindsey Kelk and her books (just take a look here), so unless I want to sound like a broken record, I need to find some new ways to talk about them. A Girl's Best Friend was one of my most anticipated books of the year because it continues the adventures of Tess Brookes (aka the best fictional character since Angela Clarke). Tess has had a very eventful (understatement!) few months, not helped by the fact that neither of the two men from her very own love triangle are speaking to her. Tess is given the opportunity of spending Christmas in New York (jealous!) with best friend Amy. Not long after arriving in the Big Apple however and she has to contend with Nick being in the same city, and having to somehow save her career at the same time.

A Girl's Best Friend is classic Kelk and I was laughing along from the very early pages. There's a few authors I know I can rely on to provide that tonic you need when you are feeling low, and Lindsey Kelk is right at the top of that list. Tess arriving in New York reminded me of Angela Clarke's arrival all those years ago. To see the city through the eyes of somebody who is visiting for the first time is incredibly exciting, and I can only wish I get to experience that for myself one day! Tess's excitement is palpable and despite everything that's going on in her life back home (Charlie's talking to her again!) and in New York, I really enjoyed her arrival in the city. If anyone knows New York it's Lindsey and that's evident all the way through.

It's so difficult to discuss this book because everything I want to say would be spoilerific. It doesn't say so on the blurb but I have saw Tweets from Lindsey and others about certain characters that appear in the book, so it's not a major spoiler but just think about two people you could include in Tess's story to make it even more amazing. I was ecstatic when Tess met Angela Clarke and even more so when a certain Jenny Lopez made an appearance. I loved how Angela recognised so much of herself in Tess and helped her find her feet when she first arrived in the city. And of course Jenny just comes bounding in, unafraid to voice her opinions and make Tess see sense. A Girl's Best Friend might just be one of Lindsey's best books yet because it features all of these amazing characters.

I have to be honest and say that in the past I have sat and watched pretty much every single reader proclaim their allegiance to Team Nick while I sit by myself in the corner rooting for Charlie. All of that changed however early on in the book when it became obvious that there was only one man Tess had her heart set on. The friendship between Tess and Charlie is lovely and I think it reminded me so much of my own with my best friend that I wanted them to be together. That said I would never just assume anything with a Lindsey Kelk story and so I was on guard the whole way through for any unexpected developments. Especially after a very intriguing opening which left me with a few questions before the book took us back in time!

What I loved most about the book, and the series as a whole, is witnessing the change that Tess has gone through from About a Girl until now. It's empowering and despite the fact a number of the opportunities she landed were the kind that only ever come along in fiction, she's quite an inspirational character and I like the fact the focus was always on Tess and her development as a character, in her career and life, and as a woman. It's not a story about a weak, ditzy female who needs a man to come along and save her. There's an eclectic mix of characters throughout the book, and of course the return of the fabulous Kekipi who has a bit of a starring role this time around. A Girl's Best Friend was everything I wanted and more and is easily one of my favourite Lindsey books yet.

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